The 2012 presidential election campaign should be about the role of the US government in our economy. In this edition of Issues, I want to focus on a brief history of that role and then detail the present role of the US government.
Occasionally on Issues in Perspective, I summarize, as an update, the situation in the Middle East, especially as it relates to Israel. With the so-called ?Arab Spring,? the continued threat of nuclear weapons in Iran, the growing carnage in Syria and the uncertainty of Egypt, with which Israel has a thirty-year-old treaty, Israel remains an oasis of democracy, stability and prosperity in the Middle East. In addition, God has an unconditional covenant relationship with the Jewish people and He promised to bring His people back to their land. I believe He is doing just that today. Therefore, it is quite important that we as Christians keep our eye on the Middle East, especially Israel. Several observations of recent developments that directly impact the Jewish people and the nation-state of Israel:
Europe is in crisis. Greece, Spain and Italy are on the edge financially as they struggle with enormous debt, unsustainable obligations to government pensions and health care expenses and commitments to the euro that are currently impossible for them to fulfill. Furthermore, the governments of Europe are experiencing political upheaval because voters are turning against austerity and frugality. Within the United States, similar debates are occurring. The US debt is out of control and the US government, let alone many state and locals governments, simply cannot meet obligations to its citizens and employees. How should we think about this?
Several years ago Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, published his important work, The Clash of Orthodoxies: Law, Religion, and Morality in Crisis. He argues that on every issue of law pertaining to public morality, from abortion and stem cell research to pornography and gay marriage, reason itself is on the side of the Judeo-Christian orthodoxy. What George also demonstrates is the slippery slope nature of the abortion issue. If we devalue life in the womb, it leads to the broader devaluing of life outside the womb. Abortion also has profound implications for so many other things in our culture. Several important thoughts on abortion and the slippery slope of unintended consequences:
Last week, the President of the United States, during an interview with ABC?s Robin Roberts, declared that ?I?ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.? Simply put, the President has agreed to a radical redefinition of the most fundamental institution of civilization. President Obama?s views on this subject have, in his words, been ?evolving.? Although Obama?s declaration does not affect public policy per se, to have the President of the United States so boldly redefine marriage is stunning! Several key thoughts:
Recent developments both within the United States and outside our nation point to the astounding confusion about the value and worth of a human life. What gives value to life? Is a baby growing in its mother?s womb of value and worth? Is China?s repugnant one-child policy, which despite denials is still, practically speaking, the policy of China, acceptable or ethically wrong? How should we even think about the contraception issue that surfaced as a result of President Obama?s health care law? These are three interrelated categories that I seek to address on this edition of Issues.
?Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king?s horses and all the king?s men
Could not put Humpty Dumpty together again.?
Although the origin of this nursery rhyme is much disputed?the point for us is well taken: Once something is broken, it is most difficult/nearly impossible to fix or restore.
In May 1960, the FDA approved a new oral contraceptive, which ushered in a veritable revolution in American culture?indeed for the whole world. It truly was one of those watersheds in human history. Today, over 100 million women use this oral contraceptive. But we are still working through the massive effects of this pill, which altered so much in our culture. How should we think about the social revolution brought about by the pill?
Religion remains a powerful force in Western civilization, especially the United States. . . As I argued in a recent edition of Issues in Perspective, the God of many Americans, especially teens and emerging adults, is a moralistic therapeutic deistic God, not the God of the Bible. So, where does this leave us as a civilization? Is genuine, biblical Christianity viable in the United States?
One of my favorite authors today is sociologist Christian Smith, who has authored a series of books that superbly analyze the culture of American teens and emerging adults (18-30 years of age). In his 2005 study, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, Smith summarizes the worldview of America?s teen culture. In this Perspective, I want to summarize Smith?s thesis.
